LSAT 151 – Section 4 – Question 12

LSAT 151 - Section 4 - Question 12

September 2018

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT151 S4 Q12
+LR
+Exp
Strengthen +Streng
Net Effect +NetEff
Link Assumption +LinkA
A
64%
165
B
19%
158
C
6%
154
D
4%
156
E
7%
156
150
157
164
 +Harder 145.196 +SubsectionEasier

If future improvements to computer simulations of automobile crashes enable computers to provide as much reliable information about the effectiveness of automobile safety features as is provided by actual test crashes, then manufacturers will use far fewer actual test crashes. For the costs of designing and running computer simulations are much lower than those of actual test crashes.

Summarize Argument
The author concludes car manufacturers will use fewer physical test crashes if simulations provide as much information about safety features as physical crashes. Why? Because running simulations is far cheaper.

Notable Assumptions
The author assumes there’s no advantage to physical test crashes over simulated crashes that would outweigh the higher cost. In particular, this means assuming simulations would provide at least as much information not related to safety features as physical crashes and that fewer test crashes would be legally permitted.

A
Apart from information about safety features, actual test crashes provide very little information of importance to automobile manufacturers.
This makes concrete the author’s assumption that physical crashes provide no more non-safety information than simulated crashes. It means manufacturers wouldn’t lose out on other information by switching from physical crashes to simulated ones.
B
It is highly likely that within the next 20 years computer simulations of automobile crashes will be able to provide a greater amount of reliable information about the effectiveness of automobile safety features than can be provided by actual test crashes.
This supports future manufacturers using simulated crashes—not reducing the number of physical crashes. It doesn’t address the author’s assumption that there’s no advantage to physical crashes over simulated crashes.
C
If computer simulations will soon be able to provide more information about the effectiveness of automobile safety features, automobile manufacturers will soon be able to produce safer cars.
This suggests simulated crashes are useful, not that physical crashes are useless. It doesn’t address the author’s primary assumption—that there’s nothing manufacturers can get from physical crashes they can’t get from simulated crashes.
D
The cost per automobile of testing and designing safety features is decreasing and will continue to decrease for the foreseeable future.
This is irrelevant. It doesn’t suggest that cost considerations will become more significant in the future when deciding whether to conduct physical or simulated crashes.
E
For years, the aviation industry has been successfully using computer simulations of airplane crashes to test the effectiveness of safety features of airplane designs.
This is irrelevant. It suggests crash simulations are useful in an analogous field: aviation. It doesn’t say that either airplane or automobile manufacturers will run fewer physical test crashes if simulations improve.

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LSAT PrepTest 151 Explanations

Section 1 - Reading Comprehension

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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